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Intercom vs Tiledesk

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Only Tiledesk (Intercom has paid plans only)
Public API
Both have one
Higher Trust score
Intercom — 96 vs 85 for Tiledesk
Best fit
Intercom: Mid-market and enterprise teams automating a large share of tier-1 support · Tiledesk: Teams required to keep chat data on their own servers
Platforms
Intercom: Web, iOS, Android · Tiledesk: Web

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

IntercomCustomer service helpdesk built around Fin, an AI agent billed per resolved conversationTiledeskOpen-source live chat and chatbot platform for customer service, run in their cloud or self-hosted

Side by side

FactIntercomTiledesk
CategoryHelpdesk & TicketingAI Support Chatbots
Pricing modelPaidFreemium
Starts at$29/seat/mo—
Public APIYesYes
Trust score96 / 10085 / 100
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, API
CompanyIntercom, Inc.Tiledesk
Launched2011—
Last verifiedOct 15, 2026Oct 23, 2026

What our research says

Intercom

The most complete bet on AI-first support: Fin's per-outcome billing aligns cost with actual resolutions, and the surrounding helpdesk is mature. The catch is the compound bill — seats plus $0.99 per Fin outcome — which at high ticket volume can exceed what flat-rate rivals charge.

Pros

  • Fin charges only when a conversation actually resolves
  • Full omnichannel inbox including phone and WhatsApp
  • 350+ integrations and a documented developer platform
  • Copilot and QA tooling for the human side of the team

Cons

  • Per-outcome fees stack on top of per-seat pricing
  • Advanced workflow features require the mid tier and up
  • Historically criticized for pricing complexity and creep

Tiledesk

The open-source escape hatch is the differentiator: the whole stack runs on your servers under MIT, sidestepping per-agent SaaS fees entirely. Budget real ops effort if you self-host, and treat cloud pricing as unconfirmed — the vendor's own pricing page blocked automated access during this research.

Pros

  • MIT-licensed with full self-hosting via Docker or Kubernetes
  • Bot-to-human handoff and multichannel messaging built in
  • REST, webhook and widget APIs plus mobile SDKs are documented
  • Free paths exist on both cloud and self-hosted options

Cons

  • Cloud pricing is euro-denominated and could not be verified on the official site
  • Self-hosting shifts maintenance, scaling and upgrades onto your team
  • Smaller ecosystem than the large proprietary helpdesk vendors

Which one fits

Choose Intercom if you need

  • Mid-market and enterprise teams automating a large share of tier-1 support
  • Companies that want AI agent, copilot and helpdesk from one vendor
  • Teams on Zendesk or Salesforce that only want Fin bolted on

Choose Tiledesk if you need

  • Teams required to keep chat data on their own servers
  • Developers embedding chat and bots via documented APIs and SDKs
  • Support orgs replacing per-seat SaaS with self-hosted tooling

Intercom vs Tiledesk: the questions people ask

Is Intercom cheaper than Tiledesk?

Intercom starts at $29/seat/mo. Tiledesk has a free tier; what its paid plans cost is not confirmed by us yet.

Does Intercom or Tiledesk have a free tier?

Tiledesk has a free tier; Intercom has paid plans only.

Which has a public API, Intercom or Tiledesk?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

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